A practical system and method for the remote distribution of financial services (e.g., home banking and bill-paying) involves distributing portable terminals to a user base. The terminals include a multi-line display, keys “pointing to” lines on the display, and additional keys. Contact is established between the terminals and a central computer operated by a service provider, preferably over a dial-up telephone line and a packet data network. Information exchange between the central computer and the terminal solicits information from the terminal user related to requested financial services (e.g., for billpaying, the user provides payee selection and amount and his bank account PIN number). The central computer then transmits a message over a conventional ATM network debiting the user's bank account in real time, and may pay the specified payees the specified amount electronically or in other ways as appropriate. Payments and transfers may be scheduled in advance or on a periodic basis. Because the central computer interacts with the user's bank as a standard POS or ATM network node, no significant software changes are required at the banks' computers. The terminal interface is extremely user-friendly and incorporates some features of standard ATM user interfaces so as to reduce new user anxiety.

Method and system for remote delivery of retail banking services

A system and method is disclosed for customer promotion. A terminal enters a customer's identification code, along with customer transaction data, at the point-of-sale. A memory stores a database of previously entered customer identification codes and transactions data. Circuitry is provided for generating a signal representative of a customer's shopping history, wherein incentive coupons may be issued to customers in dependence upon the signal.

Method and system for selective incentive point-of-sale marketing in response to customer shopping histories

A system and method for delivering purchasing incentives and a variety of other retail shopping aids through a computer network, such as by E-mail over the Internet or the World Wide Web. Customers (10) of retail stores can establish a bi-directional communication link with the system, log in (16) to the system, and then elect to browse among available purchasing incentive offers (18, 22), or elect to explore other shopping aids, such as a shopping list generator (26), a recipe center (30), or simply elect to claim a product rebate or to receive product information. If the customer elects to have product information or rebate information delivered, only minimal customer identification is required. For purchase incentives redeemable at retail stores, the customer must provide identification information and must also designate a retailer (12) at which the purchasing incentive can be exercised. For receipt of focused incentives based the customer's past shopping behavior, the customer must also supply a unique customer id., such as a check cashing card number or credit card number, used for in-store purchases. For delivery of a product sample, the customer's name and address must be supplied. The system merges this customer-supplied information (270) with other purchase incentive data (272) and creates a printable graphical image of the purchasing incentive (282) for transmission to the customer. In an alternate embodiment of the invention, the purchase incentive is not transmitted directly to the customer. Instead, the terms of the incentive are transmitted electronically to the retail store (310) designated by the customer, who receives either a token (316) to present at the store or an advisory message. In yet another embodiment of the invention, incentives may be targeted to specific consumers based on a consumer purchase history (502), and transmitted to consumers' computers (510) using electronic mail addresses stored in a consumer database (506).

System and method for providing shopping aids and incentives to customers through a computer network

An electronic-monetary system having (1) banks or financial institutions that are coupled to a money generator device for generating and issuing to subscribing customers electronic money including electronic currency backed by demand deposits and electronic credit authorizations; (2) correspondent banks that accept and distribute the electronic money; (3) a plurality of transaction devices that are used by subscribers for storing electronic money, for performing money transactions with the on-line systems of the participating banks or for exchanging electronic money with other like transaction devices in off-line transactions; (4) teller devices, associated with the issuing and correspondent banks, for process handling and interfacing the transaction devices to the issuing and correspondent banks, and for interfacing between the issuing and correspondent banks themselves; (5) a clearing bank for balancing the electronic money accounts of the different issuing banks; (6) a data communications network for providing communications services to all components of the system; and (7) a security arrangement for maintaining the integrity of the system, and for detecting counterfeiting and tampering within the system. An embodiment of the invention includes a customer service module which handles lost money claims and links accounts to money modules for providing bank access.

Electronic monetary system

A transaction security apparatus which comprises a transaction device, wherein the transaction device one of generates and transmits a first signal in response to a transaction, and a communication device associated with an individual account. The communication device receives the first signal. The communication device generates a second signal which provides a notification to the individual account holder of the transaction. The transaction device transmits the first signal to the communication device. The first signal is transmitted over a communication network directly to the communication device.

Transaction security apparatus and method

A payment making system comprises an electronic cash register and a payment making terminal device connected to the register and is adapted for use with a bank card issued by a bank to a person having a deposit account with the bank. The bank card has recorded therein at least data relating to the account number of the holder of the card, data relating to the bank where the account is opened and data for identifying the holder. The case register comprises a keyboard for entering data relating to goods and including the prices of the goods and a first card reader for reading the data in the bank card and calculates the total sum of the prices entered as the sum payable. The terminal device is connected to and communicates with a control center provided with a file having stored therein data relating to the accounts of users and stores and with the function of transferring sums payable from users' account to stores' accounts. The terminal device comprises a first memory for storing paired data transferred from the cash register and including the bank card data and sums payable and a second card reader for reading the data recorded in the bank card. The paired data including the card data in match with the data read by the second card reader is retrieved from the first memory. The data relating at least to the account number of the user and the sum payable which are included in the paired data retrieved, and data prestored and relating to the store's account number are set to the control center.

System for making payments for transactions

An electronic cash register comprises a keyboard having a cashing key for dispensing cash from a drawer and numerical keys for entering cashing sums, and keys or a card reader for entering customer identifying symbols. The register has a memory including a cashing file for storing cashing sums in corresponding relation to the customer identifying symbols. When a cashing sum is entered and the cashing key is depressed, the cashing sum entered and the corresponding customer identifying symbol are stored in the cashing file.

Electronic cash register capable of performing cash-dispensing transactions

A terminal device for making payments for credit transactions is connected to and adapted to communicate with a control center which includes a memory having stored therein data relating to a plurality of users of credit cards and to a deposit account of at least one credit company, the control center having the function of transferring a specified sum payable from an account of each user to the account of the credit company. The terminal device comprises a card reader for reading data from either a credit card or a bank card, the credit card having recorded therein data relating at least to the account number of the credit company and data relating to the holder of the card, the bank card having recorded therein data relating at least to an account number of its holder and data for identifying the holder; input means for entering sum payable; a display for showing at least the entered sum payable; a unit for transmitting to the control center at least the entered sum payable the data read by the card reader and relating to the account number of the credit company, such as the company code thereof, and the data read by the card reader and relating to the account number of the holder of the bank card; and a recorder for recording data as to transfer processing on receiving from the control center a message indicating completion of the transfer processing.

Terminal device for making payments for credit transactions

An electronic cash register comprising a keyboard having keys for cash registration, a card reader for reading the data recorded in a card, a communication control unit for making communication with a center provided with a customer file having stored therein information as to customers, a device for converting data relating to the credit standing of the customer and forwarded from the center to visible information, a memory for storing data as to cash registration and data as to credit inquiries, and a control unit for processing cash registration, controlling transmission of the data read from the card to the center to be made in response to a communication starting instruction and controlling conversion of the data received from the center to visible information

Electronic cash register

Card information selecting system capable of accessing a card provided with a plurality of information channels corresponding to different transactions, includes reading means for reading information recorded on the card, selecting means for designating at least one of the information channels, writing means for recording information on the card, and processing means associated with the selecting means for reading information or recording the predetermined information on the selected channel

Yoshitsugu Shinohara

Papers

System for making payments for transactions

Electronic cash register capable of performing cash-dispensing transactions

Terminal device for making payments for credit transactions

Electronic cash register

Card information selecting system